I own nothing.
Ice, frigid ice. It's all I remember. The winds battering themselves against my face as the bare skin of my feet tear against the ground. I had no sense of where I was, all that mattered, was to keep running.
Jack tore himself in and out of trees, over bushes, and slipping in and out of branches. The kid knew these woods like the back of his hand, even in the blanket of darkness shrouded in the night; he was a master in this element. As his ragged blue hoodie rapped itself around his slim waste, his knees buckled, but his feet still carried him down the forbidden path. Tears cold as night, melted down his face as he fought to breathe. The cold night air raping his lungs leaving them chilled to the core. His legs and arms were badly bleeding in some areas due to the sharp branches he darted into. His earthly brown jeans were torn, ripped to pieces at the bottom while blood seeped their way through the fabric, staining it, corrupting it. He had no idea where he was going, all that mattered, was to keep running.
Memories of the past hours flooded their way through Jacks barriers and assaulted his mind. How dare Aster? He had given everything to him, yet Aster continually hurt him, emotionally destroying him until he physically became corrupted. Not all the cuts on Jack were caused by the edges of the branches, no, they were caused by Jack.
It wasn't his fault. They drove him to that point. After all the arguments, all the tears, sadness, rage, Jack had enough. It was his outlet, his tool to escape from this world, and find peace in another embrace. Just for a temporary moment, all the sadness was erased, with the crimson tears flowing from his body. But now Jack had enough, this time, Aster had done it.
He promised the world to Jack, love and compassion, something jack so desperately needed but was deprived of his entire life. Then without a word, Aster just left, leaving Jack hung up to shrivel and die without any such of a glance toward him. It's been a year since he'd last talked to Aster. They were in love, 2 puzzle pieces placed perfectly in unison with one another, but Aster had other plans. Despite those 3 words spoken from each other's mouths, Jack always doubted the love he received from Aster, yet, he was addicted to it.
The aura around the elder captivated him, drew him in, and delved in his soul. But he still couldn't forget the pain he played in his life. Without a word spoken, Aster was gone, completely obliterated from the face of the earth. Jack searched and searched for his lover, but with no luck. Aster was just simply, gone. How could someone who supposedly "loved" him hurt and toy with his emotions this much? It took many months of crying, melting into the bliss that the razor brought, and frigid touches to escape from the pit Aster cast him into. Unfortunately, he's fallen back in.
To Jack's surprise Aster came back, telling him that he was "sorry, he needed to get his life together, and that he loved him so much." Jack didn't believe any of it, but he couldn't let the fact go that his lost love was found again. And what happened? He left, again. It's been a week now, and Jacks at his breaking point.
Each tree he passed was just another constant memory flashing in his mind's eye. Before he knew it, Jack was in the center of a field, the air chilling his bleeding skin to the bone. The trees hung lifeless, blanketed with a sheet of snow, iced over and completely barren, much like Jack. His inner soul was reflected out upon his surroundings, he could never escape the loneliness, loneliness, found him.
Succumbing to the growing fatigue arriving in his body, Jack collapsed. Suddenly the bitter ground took his body, laid peace across him, and gently took him off to sleep. Jack didn't know how long he slept, but it had to be a while. It didn't matter to him though. Tears followed from his eyes from the moment he woke, till the cascading darkness over took his vision once again. Finally too exhausted to even sleep, Jack curled himself into a ball next to a very large oak tree, its branches looming over him like a protective mother. A sob, weak like baby crying to his mother, echoed itself through the barren forest.
Stupid Aster…Jack thought. It was all the man's fault anyway. A loud crunching noise drew Jacks attention away from his thoughts and back into reality. Someone was coming. Jack tried to move but to only find he couldn't. His body seemed to be frozen to the core, he could barely move his fingers, let alone keep his eyes open. Sleep seemed to be calling to him again, and at the point, he didn't care. What's the point? Jack thought. He was just going to be hurt again; there isn't any use in being on this useless rock any longer. The last image Jack had before spiraling into decay was a blackened shape of a man running to him, and someone calling his name.